Author: TSA Press

The
first
time
I
joined
a
sales
call,
I
didn’t
expect
much.
I
was
there
as
legal
backup,
not
the
star
of
the
show.
But
halfway
through,
the
client
raised
a
concern
about
a
licensing
clause.
On
instinct,
I
suggested
a
quick
tweak.
The
hesitation
disappeared,
and
the
deal
closed
faster
than
anyone
expected.

That
moment
was
a
game-changer.
It
taught
me
that
my
role
as
product
counsel
isn’t
just
about
drafting
contracts
or
mitigating
risks.
It’s
about
actively
contributing
to
the
business
—
and
one
of
the
best
ways
to
do
that
is
by
being
in
the
room
with
customers.

Direct
engagement
with
customers
provides
insights
you
simply
can’t
get
secondhand.
You
uncover
hidden
risks,
spot
opportunities
for
improvement,
and
strengthen
the
bridge
between
legal
and
business.
Here’s
why
showing
up
matters.

Find
The
Problems
That
Actually
Matter

Customer
praise
feels
good,
but
it
rarely
tells
the
full
story.
The
real
value
lies
in
understanding
what
makes
them
hesitate.
Is
it
the
legal
terms?
A
compliance
question?
A
trust
issue?
These
moments
are
gold
for
identifying
what’s
truly
holding
your
business
back.

For
example,
during
a
series
of
sales
calls,
I
noticed
a
recurring
concern
about
how
we
handled
data
privacy.
That
led
to
a
collaboration
with
the
product
team
to
strengthen
our
privacy
disclosures.
The
result?
Customer
concerns
eased,
deals
closed
faster,
and
we
gained
a
competitive
edge
by
being
more
transparent.

Patterns
in
customer
concerns
don’t
just
solve
individual
problems
—
they
reveal
the
systemic
ones.

Read
The
Unspoken

Not
all
risks
are
announced.
Sometimes,
it’s
a
pause,
a
raised
eyebrow,
or
a
carefully
worded
question
that
signals
a
deeper
worry.

Once,
I
noticed
a
customer
hesitating
during
a
demo
about
our
compliance
features.
After
the
call,
we
revisited
the
documentation
and
updated
it
to
address
industry-specific
concerns.
That
small
adjustment
didn’t
just
close
deals;
it
gave
us
a
stronger
market
position.

Being
in
the
room
lets
you
catch
the
risks
others
might
miss.

Build
Trust
Without
Slowing
Deals

Legal
is
often
seen
as
the
department
of
“no”
or
“not
yet,”
but
it
doesn’t
have
to
be.
By
joining
customer
conversations,
I’ve
found
ways
to
protect
compliance
while
helping
sales
teams
move
deals
forward.

For
instance,
when
a
fintech
client
expressed
concerns
about
cross-border
data
transfers,
I
addressed
it
on
the
spot.
That
immediate
clarity
turned
a
potential
roadblock
into
a
green
light.
Sales
teams
value
this
kind
of
proactive
support,
and
customers
appreciate
knowing
their
concerns
are
heard.

Simplify
The
Legal
Experience

Sitting
in
on
customer
calls
has
also
taught
me
how
frustrating
legal
terms
can
be.
By
bridging
the
gap
between
legal
requirements
and
user
experience,
I’ve
helped
simplify
agreements
to
build
trust.

Take
enterprise
contracts,
for
example.
Customers
often
found
them
dense
and
overwhelming.
I
proposed
modular
agreements
tailored
to
their
purchasing
habits.
The
result?
Faster
negotiations
and
happier
clients.

Legal
should
empower
—
not
confuse
—
the
people
it
serves.

Show
Up,
Win
Together

The
simple
act
of
being
present
in
customer
conversations
sends
a
powerful
message:
“We
care
about
your
experience.“
This
builds
trust,
strengthens
relationships,
and
drives
long-term
loyalty.

When
you’re
in
the
room,
you’re
not
just
solving
problems
—
you’re
shaping
the
future
of
the
business.
And
trust
me,
your
presence
will
be
noticed
and
valued.

The
Bottom
Line

If
you’re
a
product
counsel
looking
to
add
more
value,
start
showing
up.
Sit
in
on
sales
calls,
ask
questions,
and
listen
carefully.
You’ll
gain
insights,
close
gaps,
and
become
an
essential
partner
to
both
your
team
and
your
customers.

For
more
strategies
on
building
trust
and
driving
business
wins
as
a
product
lawyer,
check
out
my
book,
“Product
Counsel:
Advise,
Innovate,
and
Inspire.”
It’s
filled
with
actionable
advice
for
turning
customer
interactions
into
opportunities
and
becoming
a
true
business
partner.

Have
you
stepped
into
customer
conversations
as
a
lawyer?
I’d
love
to
hear
how
it’s
worked
for
you
—
let’s
keep
the
conversation
going.

---

Olga
V.
Mack


is
a
Fellow
at
CodeX,
The
Stanford
Center
for
Legal
Informatics,
and
a
Generative
AI
Editor
at
law.MIT.
Olga
embraces
legal
innovation
and
had
dedicated
her
career
to
improving
and
shaping
the
future
of
law.
She
is
convinced
that
the
legal
profession
will
emerge
even
stronger,
more
resilient,
and
more
inclusive
than
before
by
embracing
technology.
Olga
is
also
an
award-winning
general
counsel,
operations
professional,
startup
advisor,
public
speaker,
adjunct
professor,
and
entrepreneur.
She
authored Get
on
Board:
Earning
Your
Ticket
to
a
Corporate
Board
Seat, Fundamentals
of
Smart
Contract
Security,
and  Blockchain
Value:
Transforming
Business
Models,
Society,
and
Communities. She
is
working
on
three
books:


Visual
IQ
for
Lawyers
(ABA
2024), The
Rise
of
Product
Lawyers:
An
Analytical
Framework
to
Systematically
Advise
Your
Clients
Throughout
the
Product
Lifecycle
(Globe
Law
and
Business
2024),
and
Legal
Operations
in
the
Age
of
AI
and
Data
(Globe
Law
and
Business
2024).
You
can
follow
Olga
on



LinkedIn


and
Twitter
@olgavmack.

SXSW
kicked
off
Thursday
morning
with
a
keynote
discussion
by

Kasley
Killiam,
a
social
health
expert,
and

Amy
Galo,
a
workplace
expert,
about
the
need
for
better
human
connection.
While
the
usual
welcome
remarks
by

Hugh
Forrest,
SXSW’s
Chief
Programming
Officer,
tend
to
be
standard
fare,
this
time,
he
introduced
two
elephants
in
the
room—both
of
which
have
implications
beyond
just
the
conference
itself.

First,
the
Austin
Convention
Center,
home
to
most
SXSW
events,
is
being
torn
down
after
this
year’s
conference
and
won’t
be
available
for
the
next
three
years.
Talk
about
a
logistical
nightmare.
But
as
Forrest
pointed
out,
change
is
inevitable,
and
adaptation
is
key.
The
second
elephant?
“We
live
in
interesting
times,”
he
noted.
And
that,
too,
is
an
understatement.

I’ve
noticed
that
many
of
the
themes
this
year
involve
concepts
that
are
under
attack.
A
cleaner
environment
to
meet
climate
change
threats.
The
attack
on
DEI.
Where
these
attacks
lead
to
and
how
they
impact
SXSW
and
other
conferences
remains
to
be
seen.
But
it’s
something
all
conferences
and
organizations
need
to
think
about. 

Forrest
emphasized
though
that
the
fact
we
live
in
interesting
times
does
not
change
not
change
what
SXSW
does
or
what
it’s
about.
That,
in
fact,
the
times
make
this
event
more
important
than
ever.

That’s
why
Killiam’s
keynote
on
social
health
and
the
need
for
deeper
human
connection
couldn’t
have
been
more
timely.
Killiam,
a
leading
expert
in
social
health
and
author
of The
Art
and
Science
of
Connection,
argues
that
meaningful
connection
isn’t
just
a
nice-to-have—it’s
critical
to
our
physical
and
mental
health.
She
also
made
a
bold
prediction:
in
the
future,
social
health
will
become
a
core
pillar
of
both
culture
and
business.

And
like
any
business,
law
firms
should
pay
attention.

The
Missing
Piece
in
the
Return-to-Office
Debate

Killiam
made
a
compelling
case:
workplaces
that
actively
foster
social
health
will
be
more
innovative,
more
productive,
and
ultimately
more
profitable.
She
predicts
that
in
the
future,
companies
will
create
roles
like
Chief
Social
Health
Officers
to
ensure
employees
are
building
meaningful
connections.
There’s
already
movement
in
this
direction,
with
industries
recognizing
that
combating
loneliness
and
fostering
connection
leads
to
better
health
outcomes,
including
reduced
risk
of
depression
and
heart
disease,
and
even
increased
longevity.

This
idea
and
need
is
particularly
relevant
to
law
firms,
where
the
push
for
a
return
to
the
office
is
intensifying.
As
has
been

reported
by
Above
the
Law,
more
and
more
firms
are
requiring
lawyers
and
legal
professionals
to
be
in
the
office
four
days
a
week.
I
suspect
a
five-day
requirement
is
likely
not
far
behind.
The
stated
reasons?
Increased
collaboration,
better
training,
and
stronger
firm
culture.
But
as
I
have

written
before,
let’s
be
honest—most
of
these
policies
aren’t
about
social
health
or
connection.
They’re
about
control
and
convenience
for
partners
and
leadership.

Indeed,
if
firms
were
genuinely
concerned
with
connection
and
collaboration,
they’d
be
designing
work
environments
that
encourage
it—not
just
demanding
physical
presence.
After
all,
how
much
social
bonding
happens
when
you’re
locked
in
an
office
grinding
out
2,400
billable
hours
a
year?
How
much
bonding
can
you
do
if
you
have
to
go
to
the
office,
sit
alone
all
day
working
to
meet
your
billable
quota,
and
are
interrupted
every
now
and
then
for
a
Zoom
call
with
a
partner
at
their
beach
house
or
sail
boat?

Forcing
people
back
into
the
office
without
a
plan
for
meaningful
interaction
isn’t
fostering
connection—it’s
just
adding
commute
time.
And
let’s
not
forget,
requiring
people
in
the
office
without
more
really
just
means
depriving
them
of
human
connection
time
with
friends,
family,
and
even
business
connections. 

If
social
health
matters
(and
the
data
suggests
it
does),
then
firms
need
to
be
intentional
about
creating
opportunities
for
genuine
human
connection,
not
just
seat-warming.

The
Future:
Connection
as
a
Competitive
Edge

Killiam’s
argument
also
hints
at
where
the
legal
industry
should
be
heading.
Killiam
believes
socially
connected
individuals
and
teams
innovate
better
and
communicate
more
effectively.
They
are
happier.
They
are
more
productive
and
are
ultimately
more
successful.
Firms
need
to
get
over
the
idea
that
providing
social
connection
programs
and
incentives
does
not
mean
fewer
billable
hours.

In
addition,
if
firms
move
toward
more
value-based
billing
instead
of
rigid
billable-hour
models,
fostering
deeper
team
collaboration
becomes
even
more
important
and
could
provide
a
competitive
advantage. 

Given
the
rise
of
discussions
around
social
health,
law
firms
that
ignore
this
trend
risk
falling
behind.
That’s
the
part
of
the
conversation
missing
from
the
return-to-office
debate.
If
law
firms
truly
want
to
enhance
collaboration,
they
need
to
provide
a
reason
to
be
in
the
office
beyond
just
“because
we
said
so.”
That
means
creating
space
for
real
human
interaction—mentorship,
brainstorming,
learning
from
colleagues—not
just
more
time
behind
a
desk.

This
is
what
SXSW
does
so
well—challenging
conventional
thinking
and
pushing
industries
forward.
Killiam’s
keynote
was
a
reminder
that
the
world
is
shifting.
The
firms
that
embrace
change
and
rethink
the
way
they
operate
will
be
the
ones
that
thrive.

---

Stephen
Embry
is
a
lawyer,
speaker,
blogger
and
writer.
He
publishes TechLaw
Crossroads,
a
blog
devoted
to
the
examination
of
the
tension
between
technology,
the
law,
and
the
practice
of
law.

WASHINGTON
—
The

Space
Development
Agency
(SDA)
today
announced
it
is
again
postponing
launch
of
its
first-generation
“operational”
satellites
designed
to
provide
data
relay
and
missile
warning/tracking,
with
a
first
lift-off
now
planned
for
“late
summer.”

The
launch
setback
—
which
represents
yet
another
piece
of
bad
news
for
the
embattled
agency
—
was
recently
decided
by
SDA’s
current
leadership,
“in
conjunction
with”
that
of
the
Space
Force,
an
SDA
official
told
reporters
today.

William
Blauser,
former
deputy
head
of
the
department’s

Rapid
Capabilities
Office
(RCO),
currently
is
the
acting
head
of
SDA,
following
the

Jan.
16
suspension
of
Director
Derek
Tournear
over
alleged

mismanagement
of
a
contract
award.

SDA
originally
had
hoped
to
begin
launching
the
Tranche
1
Transport
and
Tracking
Layer
constellations
for
its

Proliferated
Warfighter
Space
Architecture
(PWSA)
stationed
in
low
Earth
orbit
(LEO)

in
September
2024.
That
date
was

subsequently
pushed
back
a
few
months
to
either
very
late
2024
or
early
2025.

Tranche
1
will
include
a
total
of
158
satellites,
according
to
an
SDA
fact
sheet
[PDF]:

126
satellites
in
the
data
relay
Transport
Layer,
28
missile
warning/tracking
satellites
in
the
Tracking
Layer,
and
4
“missile
defense
demonstration”
satellites.

The
first
launch
will
involve
Transport
Layer
birds,
an
SDA
official
told
reporters
today,
but
the
agency
is
not
yet
sure
how
many
satellites
will
go
up
and
whether
satellites
from
all
of
the
three
current
vendors
will
be
included.

Northrop
Grumman,
Lockheed
Martin
and
start-up
York
Space
Systems
all
won
shares
of
a
$1.8
billion
contract
award

in
February
2022.

The
plan,
according
to
the
SDA
announcement,
is
to
then
undertake
one
launch
per
month
until
the
all
the
Transport
and
Tracking
Layer
satellites
are
on-orbit.

“SDA
continues
to
aggressively
work
toward
the
first
Tranche
1
launch;
however,
as
we
progress
through
a
normal
assembly,
integration,
and
testing
campaign,
with
the
added
challenge
of
late
supplier
deliveries,
it
has
become
clear
additional
time
is
required
for
system
readiness
to
meet
the
Tranche
1
minimum
viable
capability,”
the
agency
said.

The
SDA
official
acknowledged
that
one
of
the
problems
pushing
back
the
Tranche
1
launch
has
been
the
development
of
optical
communications
terminals
(OCTs)
—
an
issue
highlighted
in
a

recent
report
from
the
Government
Accountability
Office.

Laser
links

are
foundational
to
the
workings
of
the
PWSA,
which
is
being
designed
as
a
“mesh”
network
that
uses
laser
links
to
rapidly
transfer
data
among
themselves
—
and
eventually
to
ground
stations.

“OCT
terminals
is
definitely
a
challenge,”
the
official
said.
“We’re
working
to
continue
to
help
scale
that
and
address
any
hang
ups
there.”

Other
problems
have
included
supplies
of
propulsion
units
and
vendor
difficulties
in
getting
“approvals”
for
“encryption
devices,”
the
SDA
official
noted.
(While
the
SDA
official
declined
to
elaborate
on
the
latter
issue,
the
National
Security
Agency
is
charged
with
approving
encryption
devices
used
by
the
Defense
Department
and
other
national
security
agencies.)

Despite
the
launch
delays,
the
SDA
announcement
stressed
that
the
agency
still
intends
to
be
able
to
provide

region-by-region
coverage
for
users
in
the
field
early
in
2027.

“SDA
is
committed
to
completing
on-orbit
test
and
checkout
of
the
initial
satellites
by
mid-2026
and
delivering
the
entire
initial
warfighting
capability
of
the
PWSA
in
early
calendar
year
2027,
consistent
with
warfighter
expectations,”
the
announcement
said.

“SDA’s
top
priority
is
to
quickly
deliver
capabilities
promised
to
the
warfighter.
Launch
is
a
major
milestone
but
one
in
a
much
larger
path
to
delivering
viable
capabilities.
Our
goal
remains
to
rapidly
deliver
functional
capabilities
with
a
high
degree
of
operational
confidence,”
it
added.

*
Man
who
complained
about
weaponized
government
weaponizes
the
government
against
law
firms.
[Independent]

*
Law
firms
are
shocked
SHOCKED
by

order
they
refuse
to
talk
about.
[American
Lawyer]

*
In
fun
experiment,
Paul
Clement
was
asked
to
show
an
ounce
of
professional
integrity
or
sign
off
on
a
bribe.
WHAT
DID
HE
POSSIBLY
CHOO…oh,
you
already
know.
[NY
Times]

*
More
senior
DOJ
officials
fired.
[Reuters]

*
Administration
demands
Google
divest
from
Chrome.
I
guess

somebody
hasn’t
paid
their
Trump
toll
yet.
[Law360]

*
Admin
also
dropping
sexual
abuse
charges
against
day
care.
Probably
found
a
place
for
the
Tate’s
to
work!
[Bloomberg
Law
News]

*
Don’t
call
your
colleagues
“The
Idiot.”
“An
idiot”
is
fine
and
probably
warranted
but
don’t
say
“the.”
[Legal
Cheek]